~Biota~

I own a 46 gal bowfront. It is heavily planted and has a CO2 system. The light I use now is the Hagen GLO double 36" fixture. I notice that my plants grow but not sure if they are growing to their best potential. As of right now I do not meet minimum 2 wpg minimum. Which is better for this set up, metal halide or Fluorescent? Is 150 W an ideal wattage for my tank?

Need help.

beaver24

I have a 46 gal bowfront tank. I'm running a tek T5 HO 4x39watt setup. That gives me about 3.4 watts per gallon, but its T5 high output so I dont think watts per gallon applies. All my plants are growing very well and fast!

bosmahe1

I have a 46 gallon bowfront and I use a 4x39 watt Nova Extreme SLR T5HO running 7 hours a day with pressurized co2. The growth is quite good. Maybe you can fit a 2nd Hagen GLO double on your tank. If so, that would be cheaper than going with Metal Halide. One 150 watt metal halide fixture may not cover the whole 36 inch footprint.

bosmahe1

The Hagen GLO double 36" fixture is 2x39 watt am I right? If so, a second fixture should work.

Philosophos

If the plants look consistently healthy, you're not doing anything wrong. If you want faster growth rates, then yes, increase the light. With more light, you'll be increasing ferts and CO2.

-Philosophos